Turkey, ham, beef, roast potatoes, steamed peas, roast carrots, cauliflower with cheese sauce… don’t even get me started on deserts! It’s clear to see that we Christie’s have an all inclusive feast on Christmas day.

It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, it wouldn’t be Christmas without good food. Everyone has a different traditions for Christmas, be it visiting different families at lunch and dinner, waking up early to open presents together, phone calls from distant relatives, playing board games as a family, taking a nap after the lunch feast. But most importantly our Christmas is about our family coming together and sharing a whole day together without distractions, laughing, joking, and having fun as a family.

So if you need to provide a feast this year why not try some of these Christie family favorites:

Traditional roast beef

Step 1
Preheat oven to 220°C. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add the oil to a roasting pan along with the beef .

Step 2
Roast in oven for 40 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Remove from oven.

Roast Potatoes

1kg Coliban or Sebago potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Peel potatoes and cut into 5cm chunks. Place into a large saucepan. Cover with cold water.

Step 2
Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes or until partially cooked (potatoes should be only just tender when pierced with a skewer).

Step 3
Drain potatoes well. Return to saucepan over low heat until any remaining water evaporates. Shake saucepan vigorously to rough up surface of potatoes (this will make them crunchy when roasted). Alternatively, scrape surfaces of potatoes with a fork to create a rough texture.

Step 4
Pour oil into a large roasting pan. Place roasting pan into oven for 5 minutes or until oil is hot. Working quickly, add potatoes to hot oil. Use tongs to turn potatoes to coat in oil, then return roasting pan to oven.

Step 5
Roast potatoes for 40 minutes. Turn and roast for a further 30 minutes or until golden and crisp. Season with salt. Serve immediately.

Cheats Christmas Ham

When it comes to ham for Christmas we love to purchase a leg, slice up enough for the day and then heat it up in the microwave (it is a cheats recipe after all!). The rest goes into a damp ham-bag and usually lasts weeks (unless my brother gets to it!).

Roasted Carrots

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the butter in a baking dish. Add the carrots and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Roast for 45-50 minutes or until the vegetables are golden and tender. Serve.

Herby lemon & pine nut stuffing

We love Turkey on Christmas day, but it can be a very time consuming bird to cook. So we purchase a frozen piece of breast and cook it either Christmas morning or eve and just heat up the slices needed for the meal. Whether you like Turkey or Chicken this stuffing gives the meat a delicious flavour.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion without colouring for 10 mins. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Add the pine nuts, garlic, sage and lemon zest. Fry for 1 min more until fragrant and the pine nuts are starting to brown. Stir in the chopped parsley. Tip into the bowl with the onions, then bind with the crumbs, egg and seasoning. Done!

“He took the Who’s feast, he took the Who pudding, he took the roast beast. He cleaned out that ice box as quick as a flash. Why, the Grinch even took their last can of Who hash.” ~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch stole Christmas! And other stories